


A Little Bit Closer

by quinnovative



Series: 4 times Jess calls Kara when something’s wrong with Lena, and 1 time Lena calls Kara herself [2]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, kara's care is overwhelming to Lena sometimes, she doesn't always react well, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-20
Updated: 2017-07-20
Packaged: 2018-12-04 10:50:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11553648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quinnovative/pseuds/quinnovative
Summary: Lena, buried in work (as usual), forgets to eat. Jess calls, Kara shows up.Lena's bad at self care but Kara's not having any of it.





	A Little Bit Closer

The door cracks open and Lena looks up, brow arched expectantly. " _Kara_ ," Lena says, lets her girlfriend's name hang in the air, looks sharply thought the lenses of glasses she almost only ever wears at home. In front of her, two stacks of papers sit ominously, a testament to the work she’s done (spent her _whole_ day doing since six that morning) and the work she still has to do (at least twelve more hours looms over her, an all-nighter has been impending for weeks now, if she’s being honest with herself).

The sun has long since set.

"Hey," Kara says weakly, a sheepish smile on her face. "I brought--"

Lena knows. Lena knows Kara’s brought food, has been hounding Lena about eating all week. It was sweet and thoughtful at first, but now she really just needs to get work done. She’ll eat when she’s finished, although Kara seems to think she’s incapable of that.  "Kara, I told you not to come, I’m too busy. I don’t have any time to do anything other than manage these reports right now. You _know_ how busy things have been with my mother’s trail coming up, have you not heard anything I’ve said over the past two days?” Lena huffs and rubs her forehead, feels heat flush her face. “Did Jess call you?"

Kara's hesitation gives Lena the answer she needs. She opens her mouth, a snap about to lurch from her lips when Kara interjects.

"But I told her to," she says quickly, can sense that Lena’s reaction is tense, that she’s already been neglecting taking care of herself. "Don't be mad at Jess, it's not on her. I know you haven’t eaten since this morning and it’s almost ten. I just--Lena you are _so bad_ at taking care of yourself and I hate that." Kara’s own heart begins to thunder, she curls her fingers more tightly around the takeout bag clutched in her hand. “It’s so frustrating. I _hate_ that you do this.”

The exasperation on Lena's face slips for a moment and hurt quivers across her features before it's guarded by annoyance again. "Yeah, Kara, well I hate it, too. It's hard to unlearn _years_

of being brought up and conditioned this way, but you know what? Next time, I'll just shake it off, try not to be something _you_ hate." Her hands shake and she drops her gaze to hide the tears that blur her vision, hot on the edge of her lashes. 

She’s unstable and emotional and exhausted, and nothing has been going right for her this week.

Kara swallows thickly, tries to take a step closer but Lena pushes back in her chair and pulls her arms closer to her sides. She's a fraction away from hugging herself, from letting out the shaky exhale that begs to spill forward.

"Lena, I didn't mean it like that, I swear."

Lena looks up at her, blinking and silent.

"I'm sorry, really. I love you, Lena. I love everything about you and that's why it's so hard to watch when you get like this. You have spirals and it's scary because I don't know how to help, how to make you feel better. That's all I ever want to do. I just want to help and show you how much I love you."

Lena sniffles and something in her expression falls away, breaks apart into regret and guilt. "I'm sorry," she says, lets the words carry on the shaky exhale that finally escapes as she drops her head into her hands. "I'm trying, Kara. I'm really trying to be better for you." 

"Be better for you too, Lena, because you deserve to be taken care of, okay? You deserve love and comfort and help whenever you need it, and even when you don't."

"I'm sorry," she says again.

"Don't be sorry," Kara says, gives a small smile, tilting her head and looking at Lena fondly. "I'm sorry, too. Just come eat with me."

"Okay," Lena agrees and rises shaking from her desk.

"Are we good? Is it okay if I hug you?" Kara asks and Lena nods, sinks into the embrace Kara wraps around her. In the tightness of Kara’s hold everything begins to slip away, her senses consumed by the feeling of Kara’s arms, the wave of blonde hair she buries her face into; her soft vanilla scent; the gentle hand running up and down her back.

Lena curls her own arms around Kara. "I'm worried I won't be able to stomach much, I'm stressed right now and I'm nervous about this whole new trial for my mother."

"That's okay," Kara murmurs into the younger woman's dark hair, rocks Lena gently. "I figured you might not be feeling too great so I picked up soup... and donuts," she says with a grin, leaning back to brush the soft, pale skin of Lena's cheek. "In case you're feeling better once we get some food in that stomach of yours."

Lena smiles, lips curving and eyes crinkling for the first time that day. 

"Just eat what you can," Kara says, presses a kiss to Lena's nose. 

Lena nods and burrows against her girlfriend, falling back into her arms for another moment and soaking up the warmth. She nestles her face against Kara’s neck, her breath warm when she murmurs "I love you, Kara. I love you so much."

Kara laughs softly and kisses the CEO again, lips pressed against Lena’s temple. "I love you, too."

“I really am sorry for how I acted earlier, you were just trying to help,” Lena says, dips her head as her gaze seeks out the floor. The days people find her most difficult are the days she feels the same way about herself.  “You always are, and I-“

“Hey.” Kara gently nudges Lena’s chin back up, sees starlight from the night sky reflecting back in Lena’s eyes—shiny and bright. “You’re stressed and tired and there’s a lot going on right now. I should have listened better.”

Lena’s about to say something when her stomach grumbles and Kara laughs, tugs the woman over to the couch and grabs the bags of food. "Let's eat."


End file.
